Samwise Nonprofits and Charities Newsletter
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Council on Foundations Launches ‘Generosity Builds’ Campaign to Counter Scrutiny of the Sector
The Council on Foundations launched a 250th-anniversary storytelling campaign Monday called “Generosity Builds,” urging its roughly 1,000 member nonprofits to emphasize their everyday contributions to American life. CEO Kathleen Enright said the effort aims to close a “perception gap” as foundations face heightened federal and populist scrutiny, citing last year’s tax-bill proposals to levy new taxes on private foundations and the Justice Department’s recent fraud charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center. Enright noted that only about 1 in 20 adults said their family used nonprofit services in the past year, per a 2023 Indiana University report. The campaign will spotlight ordinary donors and community foundations rather than billionaire givers.
Sources: Chronicle of Philanthropy
Baltimore’s $100 Million Fund for Black-Led Groups Falls Short, Pivots to Local Donors
A fund envisioned to raise $100 million for Baltimore’s Black-led nonprofits has not matched even its original $10 million, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported. The Open Society Institute Baltimore seeded the effort with $6 million for the fund and $4 million for a fellowship program as it closed in 2022. Jamye Wooten, who leads the nonprofit CLLCTIVLY managing the campaign, has shifted toward small donations from city residents, raising more than $1 million annually for three years and establishing a $500,000 low-interest loan fund. After Trump’s executive order declaring race-based grants illegal, the fund was renamed the Kindred Abundance Infrastructure Fund, dropping the word “Black.”
Sources: Chronicle of Philanthropy
New Polling Shows Bipartisan Support for Nonprofit Voter Engagement Ahead of 2026 Midterms
Independent Sector released polling showing broad, bipartisan public support for nonprofits’ role in voter engagement ahead of the 2026 midterms. In the survey, conducted by Tunnl in April, 80 percent of Americans agreed nonprofits should help people register to vote, with 48 percent strongly agreeing, and 84 percent agreed nonprofits should help people understand their voting rights. Some 81 percent said nonprofits should help people understand sample ballots and voting machines, including majorities of both Democrats and Republicans. The group also found that more than twice as many Americans believe their community would be hurt rather than helped if nonprofits could no longer assist with voter registration.
Sources: Independent Sector
Duke Energy Foundation Closes America250 Grantmaking With $77,500 to Seven Florida Nonprofits
The Duke Energy Foundation distributed $77,500 in a final round of America250 grants to seven Florida nonprofits expanding civic learning and remembrance, the foundation announced. Projects include a youth civics competition, a reenactment of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the revitalization of a memorial honoring the state’s Medal of Honor recipients. A $15,000 award is helping the Marion County Board of County Commissioners host a gala, parade and fireworks display. The Osceola Chamber Foundation used $8,000 to stage a regional National Civics Bee, and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation received $5,000 for a 5K run in Orlando honoring those lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
Sources: PR Newswire
Late Lethbridge Couple Leaves $3.2 Million Bequest for Youth Leadership Programs
The Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta announced a gift of almost $3.2 million from the estates of Dr. David and Mrs. Shirley Hughes, a couple who both died in 2024. The endowment will support charitable work focused on developing youth leadership and enriching the lives of young people in southwestern Alberta, including the foundation’s Youth in Action grant program, which the Hugheses helped launch. Executive director Charleen Davidson said the couple wanted their giving known publicly to inspire others. “They believed that helping others was the best source of happiness,” she said during the announcement of the legacy gift.
Sources: Lethbridge News Now
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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